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'Toons for Our Times: A Bloom County Book of Heavy Meadow Rump 'n Roll
Cartoons deal with computer hackers, personal ads, political campaigns, rock musicians, and toxic waste
96 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1984
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633 people want to read
About the author
Berkeley Breathed
86 books415 followersGuy Berkeley "Berke" Breathed is an American cartoonist, children's book author/illustrator, director, and screenwriter, best known for Bloom County, a 1980s cartoon-comic strip which dealt with socio-political issues as seen through the eyes of highly exaggerated characters (e.g. Bill the Cat and Opus the Penguin) and humorous analogies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
September 11, 2017
I am not sure that there are any bad Bloom County books. And I am fairly sure that there are few cartoonists like Berke Breathed with such an incredible amount of insane creativity in his ironic and sarcastic look at the Raygun era of American politics and society in the 80s. An absolute joy.
March 18, 2019
Opus is the man, well a man in penguin form. Excellent comics to cheer you up on a down day. I read a few every morning to start my day off right. Very recommended
June 8, 2008
My first Bloom County book AND the impetus for loving comics.
September 11, 2008
i feel so lucky to have grown up in the golden era of comic strips.. we had bloom county, far side, AND calvin & hobbes.
oh to be a child again.
oh to be a child again.
November 11, 2010
Genius in drawing, political/social observation. Hmmm. It's time to re-read it!
January 15, 2012
Well swat my hind with a melon rind, but that's my penguin state of mind.
August 1, 2012
My first and favorite Bloom County book -- got it in 5th grade and fell in love. Just reread it in about 45 minutes and it still launches me into fits of giggles.
December 23, 2025
Absolutely a classic. A bit comforting that America has been dealing with the same set of anxieties, issues, and people for the past half a century or so.
Thanks, mom.
Thanks, mom.
Read
April 22, 2011'Our times' being the '80s, but I haven't yet encountered a specifically datable strip. Ok, got it. It's 1983/84
Evidently this has several classic strips, because it's porcupined with markers. I'll have to see which ones as I go. Looks like most of them are about Oliver Wendell Jones, boy hacker. Mr Limekiller was more or less phased out later.
The back cover matter purports to be the product of the publishers, but in fact was probably written by Breathed himself. One decision that probably WAS that of the publishers: this collection has page numbers. Thanks for that...if there's no way of marking off sections (and too many collections lack such sectioning), the reader either has to read right through in one session, or pick an arbitrary place to stop. Page numbers make this process easier. Oddly, though, the color pages are not numbered.
Evidently this has several classic strips, because it's porcupined with markers. I'll have to see which ones as I go. Looks like most of them are about Oliver Wendell Jones, boy hacker. Mr Limekiller was more or less phased out later.
The back cover matter purports to be the product of the publishers, but in fact was probably written by Breathed himself. One decision that probably WAS that of the publishers: this collection has page numbers. Thanks for that...if there's no way of marking off sections (and too many collections lack such sectioning), the reader either has to read right through in one session, or pick an arbitrary place to stop. Page numbers make this process easier. Oddly, though, the color pages are not numbered.
November 17, 2015
I loved Bloom County in the 1980's and is still feels fresh reading it again now. All of the characters are a blast to read about. Berke Breathed has done not only a wonderful job creating stories that are fun to read, but drawing the characters so well. Mr. Breathed blends the political and environmental issues of the day with humor that enables the reader not only see his point of view, but to grasp and understand not only how foolish we can behave, but also how stupidly we can act.
Franklin is the best new character added as he rips through security systems hacking his way in causing trouble where ever he goes. He is a blast!
If anyone out there would like to sit down and spend some time laughing and thinking about how humans are influenced by all we see and hear, pick up a copy of 'Toons for Our Times. You will read it over and over again . . . I know I have.
Franklin is the best new character added as he rips through security systems hacking his way in causing trouble where ever he goes. He is a blast!
If anyone out there would like to sit down and spend some time laughing and thinking about how humans are influenced by all we see and hear, pick up a copy of 'Toons for Our Times. You will read it over and over again . . . I know I have.
June 7, 2015
Ah, the early 1980s! The Day After, commies in Mexico about to attack, the beginning of media-driven retarded election coverage, Return of the Jedi, the first "hackers"--all this and more was lampooned, heralded, and squinted at through the daily acid (corrosive and mind-bender both) of Bloom County. It's hard to imagine someone born after, say, 1985 being able to read this and fathom much of it, so far has the world moved on since then, but it's worth a go. It's actually astonishing that Breathed wasn't burned at the stake by '85. Pure, unadulterated political undermining!
April 8, 2009
I always had a soft spot for the Bloom County stuff, even when I was too young to really understand what was going on. Now I read it with relish. And ketchup. It has a playful weirdness to it that still manages to be topical and biting AND be funny.
About what else can that be said?
About what else can that be said?
August 31, 2008
High points.......
Milo's introduction to MTV. (Classic!!)
A much needed dandelion break. We could all use those from time to time.
Oliver and his IBM 6000 hacking into newspapers.
Closet of anxieties.
The day after "The Day After"
Milo's introduction to MTV. (Classic!!)
A much needed dandelion break. We could all use those from time to time.
Oliver and his IBM 6000 hacking into newspapers.
Closet of anxieties.
The day after "The Day After"
November 7, 2013
Not every Breathed comic was a winner, and that's what you get when you like a comic with an edge to it. But I fondly remember that he really captured the 80s in the same way Doonsbury captured the 70s. Not many creators can truly say they were right there in the thick of it.
July 28, 2010
A masterpiece of cartooning.
August 27, 2009
Another look at the lives and times of the inhabitants of Bloom County.
August 25, 2010
"Government is the last refuge of the nincompoop."
July 2, 2013
I laughed and laughed and then my flat mates threw shoes at me until I had to stop reading so they could go to sleep.
November 14, 2013
Nice trip down memory lane...
July 30, 2014
Comic strip collections are always a joy to have around. Especially now that no one has newspapers anymore.
August 9, 2015
Rereading all of my dad's Bloom County books since the strip has rebooted. Good humor ... Wish I were around in the 80s so I'd get more of the references.
January 25, 2011
Not my favorite... but still good!!!!
May 6, 2011
Have I mentioned how much I liked the early Bloom County?
May 5, 2020
First, a correction: In the first edition I hold in my hands, it says: "Heavy Metal Rump 'n; Roll" Did this change in late editions? To "meadow"?
I was excited upon this volume's release in 1984. One of my school chums had it before me, and I was dying to get my hands on a copy, despite that I regularly clipped every strip from the newspaper and saved them all. Off to B. Dalton, we go!
This second paperback collection begins with the trial of Senator Bedfellow in a Bill the Cat tote bag bust scandal, which did two things: ended his role in the strip, and two, brought Bill into the dailies for the first time, which delighted me, as a Bill fan from day one.
More purple-horned, spotted Snorklewackers, anxiety prone newspaper editors, Cutter John and the Enterpoop, Steve Dallas at his worst, Laurel & hardy as the EPA, more Bill the Cat Sunday, more skewering of the liberals as well as conservatives, Elvis diaries, the brief introduction of one Yaz Pistachio, and we will never have female teen-aged protagonists, at least not for a very long time....Return of the Jedi (when my two loves come together!), Dandelion breaks, return (very briefly) of Limekiller, introduction of Oliver, the first Death of Bill the Cat (for now), the Bloom County US festival, Tess Turbo...I loved this so much when it appeared in the papers, and the thrill of nostalgia runs through me as I re-visit this volume. These were the days.
There was never anything like Bloom County, and it was thrilling to live through it.
Last word: This was not the first edition I first bought when I was 15 or 16-years old, but it is a first edition, so I'll keep it. I did something of a purge ridding myself of my Bloom county volumes, thinking them a thing of my childhood, needing to be expunged when adult time came. Ridiculous now that I think on it, much later on. It might also have been spurred on by my anger at Breathed for abandoning the strip, I just can't remember that much anymore.
I was excited upon this volume's release in 1984. One of my school chums had it before me, and I was dying to get my hands on a copy, despite that I regularly clipped every strip from the newspaper and saved them all. Off to B. Dalton, we go!
This second paperback collection begins with the trial of Senator Bedfellow in a Bill the Cat tote bag bust scandal, which did two things: ended his role in the strip, and two, brought Bill into the dailies for the first time, which delighted me, as a Bill fan from day one.
More purple-horned, spotted Snorklewackers, anxiety prone newspaper editors, Cutter John and the Enterpoop, Steve Dallas at his worst, Laurel & hardy as the EPA, more Bill the Cat Sunday, more skewering of the liberals as well as conservatives, Elvis diaries, the brief introduction of one Yaz Pistachio, and we will never have female teen-aged protagonists, at least not for a very long time....Return of the Jedi (when my two loves come together!), Dandelion breaks, return (very briefly) of Limekiller, introduction of Oliver, the first Death of Bill the Cat (for now), the Bloom County US festival, Tess Turbo...I loved this so much when it appeared in the papers, and the thrill of nostalgia runs through me as I re-visit this volume. These were the days.
There was never anything like Bloom County, and it was thrilling to live through it.
Last word: This was not the first edition I first bought when I was 15 or 16-years old, but it is a first edition, so I'll keep it. I did something of a purge ridding myself of my Bloom county volumes, thinking them a thing of my childhood, needing to be expunged when adult time came. Ridiculous now that I think on it, much later on. It might also have been spurred on by my anger at Breathed for abandoning the strip, I just can't remember that much anymore.
February 8, 2020
A lighthearted, witty comic strip from the eighties. It captures the spirit of its time and the mid-decade anxieties. The highlights of some political commentary into the Reagan era could just as well be relevant today.
December 16, 2023
I don’t honesty remember much about this particular comic strip, but I’ll try this out and bail if it bores me.
Well, 10 pages in, 30 daily strips and not a single laugh.
Even the Star Trek parody didn’t get me.
1 star and another donation to the library.
Well, 10 pages in, 30 daily strips and not a single laugh.
Even the Star Trek parody didn’t get me.
1 star and another donation to the library.
April 25, 2025
Great Bloom County collection with Binkley, Opus and Milo taking the center of the stage. Readers will be delighted to find many interesting and notable strips during this time of Bloom County history. A great read for any comic lover, political themed or not.
September 29, 2017
Bloom County has always been my favourite cartoon. 1983, and the memories of that era, are explained very well by this book.
February 21, 2024
❤️ Opus ❤️
June 23, 2021
The writting is really excellent.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews